Epilogue: The Great Bitcoin

• Taemin Oh (from his book, 'The Great Bitcoin')

The concept of 'Schrödinger's cat ' is used to illustrate the unsettling nature of quantum mechanics theory. To ascertain whether the cat inside the box is alive or dead, one must open the box. Before opening it, the probability of the cat being alive is half, and the probability of it being dead is also half. However, in quantum mechanics, these probabilities not only signify cognitive uncertainty but also possess existential significance. The cat inside the box exists in both the states of 'alive' and 'dead,' with these states coexisting. Is the state inherently uncertain because outsiders don’t know what’s inside? No. Outsiders don’t know what’s inside because the state itself is inherently uncertain. When the box is opened, it is determined to be one of the states. Understanding this with common sense is challenging. Even the scientists who discovered quantum mechanics couldn't fully comprehend the profound implications of the clear facts they mathematically proved, both in terms of substance and philosophy (ontology).

Individuals critical of Bitcoin from an external standpoint claim that the cat is undoubtedly dead without opening the box. They not only overlook the clear reality of Bitcoin's growth but also believe their convictions are based on a very solid logical foundation.

In the past decade, I have observed the Schrödinger's Cat phenomenon numerous times. Those lacking certainty perceive that Bitcoin exists in a superposition of states — alive and dead. The fluctuating Bitcoin prices seem to reflect this superposition. The intense but short-lived summers and the dull, prolonged winters appear to extend this uncertain state. During the long crypto winter, most people are convinced that the cat inside the box has undoubtedly died and lose interest. However, the phenomenon of Bitcoin, stranger than quantum mechanics, revives the cat. People then accept the fact that the cat is alive as a given, seeking advice and envying Bitcoin investors. Yet, it's often too late by then, and shortly afterward, a new cycle begins. When the price crashes, the cat is again in a superposition of alive and dead, and the box is tightly closed, making it impossible to peek inside.

Like quantum mechanics, understanding why Bitcoin has an objective price was challenging for me. If something has a global price, moves at the speed of light, is beyond the control of any government, allows for the ultimate finality of settlement, smoothly interacts with programs, and enables individuals to conceal ownership from the government, then that is a revolution. This is a revolution in ownership, transcending payment systems and financial innovation. It changes the dynamics of the metaverse and international relations. Furthermore, it diminishes the vast power gap between individuals and governments. Expanding this line of thinking is relatively straightforward because your existing knowledge is helpful in imagining such changes. The problem arises when attempting to answer the following question: 'Why does Bitcoin have a price in the first place?' Your existing knowledge can’t help you answer that.

There isn't much logic to answer this. Like encountering a genuinely alive cat when you open the box, we are beholding Bitcoin with a price tag. This world is no longer a superposition of Bitcoin without a price and Bitcoin with a price. In some parallel universe where everything is almost the same as Earth, we might find Bitcoin without a price.

Speaking of parallel universes, the hypothesis of serious astrophysicists is that in an infinite universe (literally infinite), there's a possibility of a being living in another universe that is similar to you but slightly different. Then, in some parallel universe, someone looking like you might have discovered the potential of Bitcoin around the year 2017, invested around $100,000, and is now living a completely different life.

I was convinced that the Bitcoin phenomenon is reproducible. We don't fully understand the principles that led Bitcoin to have a price. Indeed, I genuinely think that in some parallel universe, there exists a world like ours where Bitcoin doesn't have a price. This suggests that there's a certain degree of randomness in Bitcoin having a price, and we are clueless about what that is.

However, if we manage to reproduce the process by which Bitcoin obtains an objective price, we can distinguish between essential and non-essential factors in the Bitcoin phenomenon. Even if the reproduction experiment fails, it doesn’t mean that we can deny the existence of a 'living cat,’ Bitcoin. But if we succeed, we could understand it better. We would be able to take a peek at the conditions inside the box that kept the cat alive. According to the definition of quantum mechanics, the inside of the box cannot be seen until the box is opened, but we can indeed imagine.

And I, or rather, we succeeded in the reproduction. Without guaranteeing the exchange of any valuables, without receiving or selling for money, just by calling people to the top of the mountain and distributing pieces of code, we have proved that a computer code can gain a price. When we opened the box, the cat was genuinely alive. Now, we have a rough understanding of what conditions kept the cat alive. We can now claim that the conditions speculated based on imagination before opening the box 'functioned correctly, as expected.' Moreover, around 2023, thousands of people living in this parallel universe could seize the luck by participating in the experiment, the luck that might have avoided them in 2009, when Bitcoin was created. In another parallel universe, an alternate version of you, who missed both Bitcoin and this experiment, might be envying yourself.

Bitcoin’s objective price and quantum mechanics share similarities in provoking discomfort among intellectuals who prefer 'clear-cut logic.' They both produce the same results under identical conditions. They can be mathematically analyzed even though it is difficult to grasp their substantial and philosophical meaning.

When you open the box, you can visually confirm whether the cat is alive or dead, but the majority of people are still stuck in the perplexing interpretation of a superposition of alive and dead states without even trying to open the box, unable to move forward. We may not fully understand something, but we can accept reality. In fact, all of us are living through reality without completely comprehending it. Even modern scientists, to some extent, may not fully understand the meaning of quantum mechanics, but they accept the conclusions foreseen by quantum mechanics as clear facts.

If the box remains unopened, your inference is correct. If someone introduces himself, claiming to possess necessary skills, passion, and dedication, and proposes a task requiring these qualities, it is a prudent attitude to dismiss it as nonsense and cut off interest. By doing so, you could probably avoid wasting your life. In my experience, encountering someone who possesses all three of these qualities is exceedingly rare. If a truly skilled individual is also passionate, their passion often extends only to personal ambitions. Those skilled individuals without apparent personal motives tend to be generally cynical about the world, and keeping a distance from trivial worldly desires might be the key to maintaining their skills.

But again, this kind of thinking proves futile in this universe. We've opened the box, and regardless, the cat is alive. We can't wait for you to accept the reality. Since we've opened the box and seen the living cat, we will move forward based on that fact. If you think Bitcoin is dead, your error is twofold. Not only are you mistaken, but you also exhibit a lack of diligence in confronting reality and embracing your own life. In this parallel universe you find yourself in, whether by coincidence or not, you must summon the courage to accept things as they are—they are already determined. It's not just about Bitcoin; in reality, we do not fully comprehend everything that unfolds in our lives. Why insist that a complete understanding of Bitcoin is crucial to facing reality?

The box has already been opened, but you, unable to move forward from the superposition of a closed box, may not be living decisively in this parallel universe. In other words, your perception of reality is in an uncertain state, neither definitively alive nor dead.

Ambiguity doesn't reside inside the box where the cat is alive but within your mind, which struggles to accept events that have already transpired.

#Bitcoin #Mobick #BTCMobick #SchrodingersCat #TheGreatBitcoin